{"title":"生境质量对珊瑚栖息鱼类数量的跨空间尺度影响","authors":"Hana Fahim, Taylor Naaykens, Cassidy C. D'Aloia","doi":"10.1002/ece3.70322","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Microhabitat associated fishes are expected to be negatively affected by coral reef degradation, given that many species are coral dwellers. However, the factors underlying this negative impact and the spatial scale(s) at which it occurs are poorly understood. We explored how habitat quality metrics and host preferences influence fish abundance across multiple spatial scales, using the functionally important cleaner fish <i>Elacatinus evelynae</i> as a study species. We surveyed fish at 10 sites in Curaçao that varied in coral cover and health. At the microhabitat scale, we found that <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> group size increases on large, healthy corals and on some coral host species, namely <i>Montastraea cavernosa</i>. We also found that, although <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> can occupy at least 10 coral host species, it selectively inhabits just three corals: <i>M</i>. <i>cavernosa</i>, <i>Colpophyllia natans</i>, and <i>Diploria labrynthiformis</i>. Scaling up to explore goby abundance along 30-m transects, we did not find a clear relationship between live coral cover and goby abundance. However, goby abundance was substantially higher at one location with elevated coral cover and a high relative abundance of <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> host species. Collectively, these results confirm that <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> abundance is impacted by reef health. They also indicate that the species' long-term persistence may depend on both the maintenance of healthy coral hosts and the gobies' plasticity in host preferences on changing reefscapes. Cryptobenthic fishes such as <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> play a vital role in the ecosystem and understanding drivers of their abundance is important as reefs face increased degradation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11467,"journal":{"name":"Ecology and Evolution","volume":"14 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.70322","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Habitat quality effects on the abundance of a coral-dwelling fish across spatial scales\",\"authors\":\"Hana Fahim, Taylor Naaykens, Cassidy C. D'Aloia\",\"doi\":\"10.1002/ece3.70322\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p>Microhabitat associated fishes are expected to be negatively affected by coral reef degradation, given that many species are coral dwellers. However, the factors underlying this negative impact and the spatial scale(s) at which it occurs are poorly understood. We explored how habitat quality metrics and host preferences influence fish abundance across multiple spatial scales, using the functionally important cleaner fish <i>Elacatinus evelynae</i> as a study species. We surveyed fish at 10 sites in Curaçao that varied in coral cover and health. At the microhabitat scale, we found that <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> group size increases on large, healthy corals and on some coral host species, namely <i>Montastraea cavernosa</i>. We also found that, although <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> can occupy at least 10 coral host species, it selectively inhabits just three corals: <i>M</i>. <i>cavernosa</i>, <i>Colpophyllia natans</i>, and <i>Diploria labrynthiformis</i>. Scaling up to explore goby abundance along 30-m transects, we did not find a clear relationship between live coral cover and goby abundance. However, goby abundance was substantially higher at one location with elevated coral cover and a high relative abundance of <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> host species. Collectively, these results confirm that <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> abundance is impacted by reef health. They also indicate that the species' long-term persistence may depend on both the maintenance of healthy coral hosts and the gobies' plasticity in host preferences on changing reefscapes. Cryptobenthic fishes such as <i>E</i>. <i>evelynae</i> play a vital role in the ecosystem and understanding drivers of their abundance is important as reefs face increased degradation.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":11467,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Ecology and Evolution\",\"volume\":\"14 9\",\"pages\":\"\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":2.3000,\"publicationDate\":\"2024-09-22\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ece3.70322\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Ecology and Evolution\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"99\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.70322\",\"RegionNum\":2,\"RegionCategory\":\"生物学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q2\",\"JCRName\":\"ECOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ecology and Evolution","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.70322","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Habitat quality effects on the abundance of a coral-dwelling fish across spatial scales
Microhabitat associated fishes are expected to be negatively affected by coral reef degradation, given that many species are coral dwellers. However, the factors underlying this negative impact and the spatial scale(s) at which it occurs are poorly understood. We explored how habitat quality metrics and host preferences influence fish abundance across multiple spatial scales, using the functionally important cleaner fish Elacatinus evelynae as a study species. We surveyed fish at 10 sites in Curaçao that varied in coral cover and health. At the microhabitat scale, we found that E. evelynae group size increases on large, healthy corals and on some coral host species, namely Montastraea cavernosa. We also found that, although E. evelynae can occupy at least 10 coral host species, it selectively inhabits just three corals: M. cavernosa, Colpophyllia natans, and Diploria labrynthiformis. Scaling up to explore goby abundance along 30-m transects, we did not find a clear relationship between live coral cover and goby abundance. However, goby abundance was substantially higher at one location with elevated coral cover and a high relative abundance of E. evelynae host species. Collectively, these results confirm that E. evelynae abundance is impacted by reef health. They also indicate that the species' long-term persistence may depend on both the maintenance of healthy coral hosts and the gobies' plasticity in host preferences on changing reefscapes. Cryptobenthic fishes such as E. evelynae play a vital role in the ecosystem and understanding drivers of their abundance is important as reefs face increased degradation.
期刊介绍:
Ecology and Evolution is the peer reviewed journal for rapid dissemination of research in all areas of ecology, evolution and conservation science. The journal gives priority to quality research reports, theoretical or empirical, that develop our understanding of organisms and their diversity, interactions between them, and the natural environment.
Ecology and Evolution gives prompt and equal consideration to papers reporting theoretical, experimental, applied and descriptive work in terrestrial and aquatic environments. The journal will consider submissions across taxa in areas including but not limited to micro and macro ecological and evolutionary processes, characteristics of and interactions between individuals, populations, communities and the environment, physiological responses to environmental change, population genetics and phylogenetics, relatedness and kin selection, life histories, systematics and taxonomy, conservation genetics, extinction, speciation, adaption, behaviour, biodiversity, species abundance, macroecology, population and ecosystem dynamics, and conservation policy.